There had been some immigration of Ukrainians to Canada as early as 1812. However, the first recorded Ukrainian immigrants to Canada were Ivan Pylypiw and Wasyl Eleniak, farmers from Galicia. Encouraged by German friends who had settled in Canada, they came in September 1891 seeking a suitable area for settlement. In 1892, a small group of immigrants organized by Ivan Pylypiw arrived in Winnipeg from Nebyliw, Ukraine. Two years later, the families of Mykola Tychkowsky and Antin Paish left the group to settle east of Edmonton at Edna (now Star). It becane Canada’s first and soon largest Ukrainian block settlement. The fertile land with sufficient streams made it perfect for farming, while an abundance of trees provided building material for homes and barns. Pylypiw moved to Edna a year later. The settlement grew as more people arrived from Galicia and Bukovyna. Now there are over 1,300 000 Canadians of Ukrainian descent in the country.
Listen to what Wayne Gretzky has to say about his ties with Ukraine >
Katheryn ‘Lagertha’ Winnick of the Vikings miniseries >
On September 7 every year, Ukrainian Canadian Heritage Day is officially celebrated in Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta.
